Water-supply for cities and towns



(NoVMoael.)

DL C. GREGIBR..

WATER SUPPLY TOR CITIES AND TOWNS..

.Patentedam 1,` 1884.

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, Unir-TED- STATES PATENT tries.

DEWITT C. CBEGI-ER, CF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WATERjSUPPLY FORk CITIES AND TOWNS.-

` Msrncrrrea'rrorrforming part of Letters Patent Application tiled March 9, 1852.

'isa specification.

"I provide a lsupply of water under a high Y pressure, which shall be additional to' and inf similar letters dependent of the ordinary supply. They water, therefore, may be of a different quality from the ordinary water-as warm, muddy, or otherwise' impure, or even salt. The -water from my independent supply may be used to sprinkle streets, to supply fountains for ornamental purposes, and if the quality .is proper for' washing, supplying bathing establishments and manufaotories for various purposes; but it is more especially designed for two 'great uses, in which a superior pressure is desirableextinguishment of fires -and the actuating of elevators and other machinery at points where -it would be inconvenient and expensive to applyT steam-power directly. I provide for maintaining a high and equable pressure on my independent system Without requiring a reservoir or stand-pipe. -The apparatus occupies but little space, and is largely automatic in its adaptation to the various conditions. f v

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and represent what'I consider' the best means of carrying outthe' invention. l

Figure l is a vertical section through my device'Y for securing uniformity of pressure in the high-pressure pipes. Fig. -2 is an elevation of the same. The elevation is mainly at right angles to the plane of section in Fig. 1, but the lower end of Fig. 2, represented as detached, is turned so as to stand'in the same position as inFig. l to better show the construction' at that point.v Fig. 3 is an elevation of the forcing and equalizing means on a small scale. f A

of reference indicate like parts'in all the figures.

TheV ordinary water-pipes (or system of water-distribution) are indicated xby W. They No. 291,159, dated January l, 1884.

(-Yo model.)

or. by pumping or otherwise. The pipes for my independent water systemmay be laid close to or at any required distance from the same.

cylinder, and D a pump. These parts maybe of any ordinary construction and arrangement; but it is essential that the furnaces and boilers shall have the capacity for generating a large amount of heat and supplying liberal quantities of steam in cases of emergency, as when several res occur simultaneously, and also that the furnaces and boilers, by banking the fires or otherwise, shall be capable of maintaining the heat in the boilers with but little generation of steam, and without much consumption of fuel when but a small quantity of water is required, as during ordinary nights and Sundays. I make these operations partly automatic.

B isa damper in the stack, and B2 a` rod connected to a lever controlling the same. By operating' this rod the draft in the furnaces may be largely controlled.

C is a throttle-valve or adjustable cut-oft' or expansion gear, and C2 is a rod connected thereto. By operating this rod C2 the coni sumption of steam in the engine, and consequently the rate of working of the engine and the rate of pumping may be varied between wide limits.

E is the pipe which conveys the water from the pump D to supply the city.`

To the pipe E, near the pump, I provide an upright casing, F, having a stuffing-box, F', around the -top and an annular ledgeor internal flange, F2, around the bottom. Within this plays a hollow cylindrical plunger, G,- closed at the top and open at the bottom. This plunger, properly loaded, serves in two ways: iirst, it rises and sinks withiiuctuations in the ratio of the supply to the demand for water; and, second, its hollow interior (tightly closed except at the bottom,where it is entirely open) serves as an air-chamber by imprisoning a quantity of air, andallowing the dividing-line between the air and the Water to pulsate or rise and sink rapidly with momentary fluctuations in pressure due to the intermittent action of the pumps and analogous causes. Care is. taken to supply air A are the boilers; B, the stack; C, a steam- IOO with a large amount of elastic action.

2o mum delivery or dead-point.

45 the carriage G.

Io top of the plunger, and is guided by slides, of

which I provide four, arranged as shown, connected to the easing F by arms F, and united at the top by a transverse framing, F". It will be seen that when the water is consumed at i 5 precisely the same rate as it is supplied by the pumps the plunger G will remain stationary; but the air imprisoned therein will expand and contract as the pump alternately passes its points of maximum delivery and its minilhe supply of water from the pumps to the casing F will be variable or intermittent; but the fiow from the casing F to the city will be constant and the pressure nearly uniform. .Yhen the consumption in the entire city exceeds the supply by the pump, the pulsations in the water, due to the strokes of the pump, will continue to be extinguished, as before, by the elastic action of the air in the plunger G; but the general or 3Q mean pressure under the plunger being less than the gravity of the load on the latter, it will sink. Ill/'hen the consumption is less than the supply by the pump, the plunger will rise.

H is a bell-crank lever turning on a fixed center, h, and carrying an adjustable weight,

H', on its horizontal arm. The upright arm connects to the rod B2, which operates the damper B in the stack and controls the intensity of the iire. It also operates the rod 4 0 CA2, which controls the consumption of steam in the engine and induces the engine, and consequently the pump, to change its speed the moment the lever H is changed in position. The horizontal arm of H rests on the rim of Vhenever the plunger G rises, indicating that the pump is working in excess of the power required, it lifts the weight H and shifts the rods B'l C2, so that the engine consumesless steam and the draft in the furnaces 5o is less, so as to produce less steam in the boilers. So soon as the consumption of water is in excess ofthe pumping the plungerG sinks, causing the lever H to sink, and consequently changing the position of the rods B2 C2 in the opposite direction, giving more steam to the engine and more force to the fire. A stop, F, arrests the motion of the lever H when it has descended to the extent which will develop the maximum power of the apparatus, and the aplunger may descend its full extent, performing its other functions of equalizing the flow without infiuencing the steam by any motion while it is in a low position 5 but so soon as the pumping has been sufficiently quickened to raise the pressure throughout the city from its minute diminution again to the proper standard, the carriage G again rises into contact with the lever 1I and reduces the consumption of steam and the motion of the engine and pump. I believe that the' control of the en gine by this automatic arrangement will be complete; but the control of the lires in changing from extreme conditions will require one or more attendants.

The high pressure exerted by the water in my system will work elevators and other small powers at any reasonable height in the city. It will force the water up throagh permanent systems of fire-pipes, with which many modern manufaetories and other large buildings are provided. It will supply water with more than ordinary facility, and afford great assistance to the action of steam tire-engines and hand-engines. It will also in many or all portions of the city supply water directly from hydrants under sufficient pressure to be available by simply attaching a hose without imparting to the water any further power than is due to the pressure of the mains. I propose to make this last mode of operation especially available by providing special hydrants in those vicinities where the expense is warranted, and provide a supply of hose in the immediate vicinity of the hydrants. The owner, a private watchman, or any properlyauthorized party running to the hydrant with facilities for opening. can let on the water and make immediately available asuflcient length of hose to extend to the point' desired and throw` a stream immediately with the full force due to the high pressure in the street-mains.

I attach much importance to the fact that by varying the weights G2 in carriage GY', attached to the plunger G, I can vary the pressure in the high-pressure pipes XV, while the automatic devices will maintain the pressure uniform after the proper degree of pressure in that system of pipes has been attained. Thus under ordinary conditions the pump D may work against the ordinary moderate resistance, the number of weights GrL in the carriage Gr being small; but when a fire occurs and the opening of a number of hydrants calls for much water, I can, by increasing the number of weights G'l and correspondingly quickening the fires, soon change the action by delivering the water into the high-pressure system at a greatly increased pressure, thus maintaining the full action of elevators and other machinery depending on this force, and even materially aiding the fire-engines.

The hydrant and hose may be made the subject of a separate application for patent.

I do not here claim the special device for equalizing the pressure of the water, such being made the subject of a separate patent dated May 9, 1882, N 257,557. I can vary the forms and proportions of the parts which effect the automatic regulation, and which call the attention of the attendant to an excessive elevation or depression of the plunger.

The junction of the pipe E to the plungercase F may be enlarged and rounded.

There is no objection to the use of pure fresh IIO water for my independent system,where it can be obtained.

Among uses for my independent system not before suggested or sufficiently explained, are

the extinguishment of res by ready connec-t tions to stand-'pipes mounted permanently on the exterior or the interior of buildings, they sprinkling and washing of sheets, the thawing of snow when the water is from a relativelywarm stream, and especially when it is saltwater from the sea, the effect of salt in rapidly melting snow and ice being long known and often used in other branches ofthe arts.

The water from my hi gh-pressure indepen d.- ent system may also be made very useful in Working passenger elevators, freight e1eva tors, Ventilating devices, devices for simply agitating the air by fans, blowing organs, and working small and large machines generally; also for special and general sanitary objects and purposes. Its strong force and copious supply, whlen required, may also at rare intervals be of great service in aid of police and military in disconcerting and breaking up riotous assemblages in the streets.

I claim as my invention- In a water supply for cities and towns, wherein the water is supplied under separate high and low pressures, and in combination with the duplex series of pipes W and E and the pump D, the plunger G, carriage G', and adjustable weights G2, for varying the pressure in high-pressure pipes, and the devices, substantially as described, for maintaining the pressure uniform after the proper degree has been attained, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, this 1st day of March, 1882, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. i

DEWITT C. CREGIER.

Vitnesses:

HENRY Mason, F. C. MEY'ER. 

